Thursday, November 24, 2011

The second day of the 150th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Exposition was very dense and busy, with a total of 10 presentations, but also the election of the various committees, as well as the new President of the BIE, Mr. Ferdinand Nagy (Romania).

Mr. Kang Dong-Suk

Chairman of the Organizing Committee for EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea

Start at the beginning of the day ... presentation of Korea regarding the progress of the project work and various projects for the International Exposition in Yeosu 2012, the opening will happen very quickly now.

Amb. Lee Joon-Hee

Commissioner of the International Exposition 2012 Yeosu Korea

One thing is certain, Koreans work fast, and seriously good! Their actions and their explanations prove it. They are followed by photographs of the site that allow to see the progress of work, and how the site grows.

To date, Yeosu has 106 participating countries for EXPO 2012 with 23 pavilions of nations and 9 international organizations, it was noted that countries wishing to participate in the expo still had until the end of November to be know.

It was also revealed some of the major events taking place during the expo, entertainment, national days, symposia and forums.

Transport and access to the Exhibition were also discussed in detail, and the facilities to come to Korea to visit the Expo and the country.

It should be noted that 2012 Yeosu makes every effort to ensure good communication outside of Asia, particularly in Europe, enlisted the services of several "ambassadors" as the actor Jacques Perrin in France.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

A Korean calligrapher and map artist who has been trying to spread messages of peace to the world through his art was named an honorary ambassador of world peace by the Korean government in early November.

Han Han-guk, 43, produces maps consisting of Korean words and phrases put together in the shape of a country. He has made 21 maps in all and each one contains letters, poetry and Bible passages that Han collected from people in the countries represented.

Han said he began making the maps to spread his message of peace to the world, adding that he hopes that people will one day stop generating meaningless disputes that incur unnecessary sacrifices.

“In collecting messages from people around the world for my art, I’ve been very surprised that everyone has the same hope, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, religion or culture,” Han said in an interview withe the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday. “They all want to live in a place without religious or national disputes. I wanted to let them know that they have the same ideas.”

Artist Han Han-guk, 43, explains the idea behind his peace maps, which he created to emphasize the importance of world peace. Provided by the artist

He also said it was important to him that the maps contain the history and culture of each country, which he said he believes are the keys to promoting world peace.

Han started studying calligraphy when he was eight years old. He began by studying Hanja (Chinese characters) but switched to Hangul after feeling limited by his ability to express Korean culture and emotions through Chinese characters.

“I wanted to learn and practice something that would allow me to express my pride in my mother country and for me, that was Hangul,” Han said. “Through calligraphy, I wanted to work on the subject of peace and reunification of my country, which is the long-cherished dream of Koreans.”

Financial problems made it difficult for him to continue his study because the cost of the necessary materials, including hanji (traditional Korean mulberry paper), were too expensive for him. Not to be deterred, Han came up with his own method of study.

“I threw my brush away and grabbed a stick and I used the sand at Haeundae beach in Busan as paper,” Han said “People at the beach whispered to each other and stared at me as if I were a crazy person, but I couldn’t stop practicing because it was the only thing I could do.”

Han started making peace maps in 1997, and set out to produce nine maps representing Korea’s nine provinces. He completed the project in 2005. The finished map is 1.6 meters tall (5.2 feet) and 2.6 meters wide and has 138,000 Hangul letters. The text in the maps consists of messages expressing his desire for peace, national unity, forgiveness, patriotism and reunification of the two Koreas. Some also contain stories by families in South Korea separated from relatives in the North.

In 2008, the map, which he titled “We Are One,” was sent to North Korea. It is currently on display at the International Friendship Exhibition Hall on the North’s Mount Myohyang.

Next, Han set out to produce maps of United Nations member countries, including the United States, Japan, China and Germany. He ended up creating 21 maps in all containing 1 million Hangul letters. He also created 21 ceramic plates featuring images of the peace maps that he said he wanted to donate to the peacekeeping organization. But it wasn’t an easy task.

“I wanted to donate the ceramic plates to the United Nations in order to share my message, but the UN turned me down several times because they interpreted my actions as political or because they thought I was just doing it to draw attention to myself,” Han said. “But I couldn’t give up because I believed that sending my art into the world was my destiny.”

Han said that he also set up a small table with some of his works in front of the UN General Assembly in New York to show his sincerity.

“I stayed true to my intention of spreading my message of peace, not only as an artist but also as a person living in a divided country,” Han said.

As a result of his persistence, 21 offices of UN representatives finally accepted Han’s artworks. Since then, he has received certificates of receipt from each country acknowledging his contributions. Han said that the certificates are preserved in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Han said he is currently working to produce 35 more maps and is willing to take requests from countries interested in having a Hangul map of their country.

“I will keep producing the maps in order to spread the message of peace, which is the world’s long-cherished desire,” Han said “I hope that I can devote the rest of my life to producing these maps.

“I’m currently working on producing 35 country maps and I’ll be happy to produce more for any country that is willing to have one.”

Friday, November 4, 2011

The loudest organ music ever heard will fill the air of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, which is set to open just about 200 days later.

The Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea announced that the pipe organ to be installed on the Sky Tower was tested successfully in Germany, the home of pipe organs, and is now waiting to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest pipe organ in the world.

The transformation of the abandoned cement silos in the Yeosu New Port Area into the Sky Tower started in June this year after an international design contest was held for the tower in September last year. Consisting of two 55-story towers, the Sky Tower features a pipe organ on the outside and seawater desalination facilities and a video exhibition hall inside. The rooftop observatory deck offers an expansive view of the Expo site, Odongdo (island) and the south coast archipelago.

Console construction and pipe assembly are now entering their final processes in Germany. As the test operation of the pipe organ proved that the sound of the organ can be heard from as far as 6 kilometers away, the Organizing Committee hopes it will be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s loudest pipe organ.

The pipe organ will be used to signal the opening and closing times of the Expo site during the Expo period as well as to play the national anthems of the participating countries and to play music for on-site concerts, among others.

Hong Seung-pyo, a professor at Hankyong University who came up with the idea of the pipe organ, said, “Although pipe organs tend to be built indoors and played for religious purposes, I wanted to challenge this convention. I brought out this idea of installing a pipe organ outside of the tower so that it could more deeply connect with Expo visitors by allowing them to not only hear the organ but play it themselves.”

Yang Hong-ju, Head of the Sky Tower Project Team of the Organizing Committee, commented, “I am confident that the Sky Tower pipe organ will become one of the Yeosu Expo’s landmarks, along with the tower’s rooftop observatory deck offering a breathtaking view of the Expo site and Yeosu and the seawater desalination facilities.

The Pipe Organ to Be Installed on the Sky Tower

With the official opening of the Expo only about 200 days away, construction of the Expo site is making fair progress. To date, 75 percent is completed. A total of 103 nations and eight international bodies have confirmed their participation in the Expo. In addition, the Suncheon-Wanju Expressway and the Jeolla KTX railway are now in full operation.

China and Japan in the community at the same time, Mr. Yamada
Shanghai World Expo opening day last year, up from the closing days a gaegeun '184 'achieving a
'Expo Grandma "nickname that stuck up do you

At this point ... "Expo Grandma" are you wondering?

Mr. Yamada domiyo with an innocent smile of Shanghai Expo visitors!
Expo was signed between the Chinese people celebrate the offensive, and that requires taking
Fans also had great fame as iteuljeongdo
She could feel the Expo, the love that runs deep?

Mr. John bream day visit to Shanghai Expo gonggaehaeju Write journaling!
Mead two books on painting and photography for each pavilion, listening to testimony that filled ppaegok,
Shanghai World Expo held 184 days in this field have had to feel alive.

Admission will be writing diaries EXPO really wondering how are you going?
Sunnis in the next year, 93 days baldojjang kungkungkung EXPO!
Expo-Challenge with grandma I'm gonna go to gaegeunsang ~
Are you going to eungwonhaeju all?

The Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is “aggressively” promoting the Expo in Indonesia.

The Organizing Committee held a press conference with major local media of Indonesia at the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta on September 29 and gave a presentation for product development managers of local travel agencies at the Jakarta office of the Korea Tourism Organization on September 30.

Yeosu Expo promotion booths have also been set up at two international events, the 2nd Indonesia Blue Revolution Expo & Forum held at the Jakarta Convention Center from October 6 to 9 and the 2011 Surabaya Marine Expo being held in Surabaya from October 7 to 9.

Yeony and Suny, the official mascots of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, are gaining popularity in Indonesia thanks to “Hallyu,” or Korean Wave. During the Korea-Indonesia Week, organized by the Korean Embassy in Indonesia and held from September 28 to October 4 in Jakarta, the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea held an event where visitors could take pictures with Yeony and Suny. The mascots personify a drop of water and plankton respectively, embodying the theme of Yeosu Expo, “The Living Ocean and Coast.”

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea announced that relevant participants from home and abroad made a site visit to the Ocean & Coast Best Practice Area (OCBPA).

The Organizing Committee said that participants, such as Samsung Heavy Industries, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., STX, K-Water, Northwest Pacific Action Plan, and Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem, were given information on the plans and current status of exhibition preparations and underwent technical negotiations with the Organizing Committee.

The site visit began with a tour of the Yeosu Expo 2012 Promotion Center for updates on the current preparation status of the Expo, then moved on to the OCBPA located on the second floor of the Theme Pavilion for insights on the surrounding conditions and the exhibition space. An overall briefing on the progress of OCBPA exhibition plans was held later on, followed by technical negotiations between the participants and the Organizing Committee.

“We hope the site visit allowed the participants to get a clear picture of the theme and purpose of Yeosu Expo, and I am glad that technical negotiations went well thanks to the briefing on well-prepared exhibition plans,” said Kang Hyun-joo, Deputy Director General of the OCBPA Department. “We also hope that participants speed up their efforts to further develop their exhibition contents after their site visit.”

The OCBPA is scheduled to be completed by March 2012. It will focus not only on the world’s top technologies but also today’s best policies and knowhow, regarding the oceans and coasts. At the communication lab inside the OCBPA, a series of special lectures are to be given to provide in-depth knowledge about relevant issues.

Information on the OCBPA can be found on its official blog (http://blog.naver.com/ocbpa), where some events related to the OCBPA are already up and running.